Pistole represents Obama’s third attempt to fill the crucial post, after two previous nominees withdrew during the Senate confirmation process.

In Washington, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, quickly issued a statement saying she applauded Obama’s choice and was “pleased the president has chosen an individual with such strong law enforcement experience.”

However, she said, “I will withhold my final judgment on this nomination until the Committee’s full examination and vetting processes are completed.”

Pistole, deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, previously worked in the FBI’s counter-terrorism division after first joining as a special agent.

In a statement, Obama praised Pistole’s “talent and knowledge” and said he would be a “valuable asset” in the administration’s effort to improve security and screening measures at U.S. airports.

“I am grateful that he has agreed to take on this important role.”

Obama’s original choice to head the TSA, Erroll Southers, withdrew, blaming political ideology for the failure of his Senate confirmation process. He faced opposition from Republicans after reports he may have misled Congress about a 1980s incident involving a background check of his ex-wife’s boyfriend .

In March a second nominee, retired U.S. Army intelligence specialist Robert Harding, also withdrew, following a row over his past activity as a defense contractor.

The twin withdrawals left the agency without a permanent chief at a time when it is grappling with failures leading up to the thwarted Christmas Day bomb plot aboard a U.S. airliner by a Nigerian suspect linked to al Qaeda.